


Of puppy love and almost kisses

by SilverInStars



Series: G-dragon/Kyuhyun (G-Kyu) [2]
Category: Big Bang (Band), EXO (Band), Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe, Author loves to chat in the Comments, Childhood Friends, Crack Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Puppy Love, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unresolved Sexual Tension, author loves this pairing, just a lot of adorableness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 14:14:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12278229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverInStars/pseuds/SilverInStars
Summary: "Well you're fucked." Seungri chimed helpfully, and Jiyong gave into his urge to whack someone up the head.





	1. Pluck a diamond from the stars.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bookworm83197](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm83197/gifts).



Jiyong stared. 

He was being pathetic, he knew. There were levels to this, he was certain, and he had definitely crossed them. Beside him, Seungri nudged an elbow into his ribs pointedly, "You've got to stop doing that hyung, he already thinks you secretly want to murder him." 

Jiyong dragged his eyes away to scowl at his younger brother, "I've got no idea what you're talking about," he replied primly, swallowing the knot of embarrassment that had tightened at the bottom of his throat. His fingers gripped tighter around the graphite pencil in his hands, the harsh lines of his base sketch had softened at some point, rounding out and smoothing in with a delicacy that matched familiar wide eyes and the dip of a jaw he could probably trace in his sleep. He snapped his sketchbook shut as Seungri leaned over but the maknae just raised a brow at him. "It's been years now, if you would just stop pining and go talk-" 

"Like you've been talking to Oh Sehun?" Jiyong asked, knowing it was a cheap shot and not regretting making it nevertheless. Seungri sputtered at him, eyes going round and a flush coloring high on his heel bones, "I-that's-he-" Seungri flailed back, tipping dangerously toward the pool of water in the fountain they were sitting at the edge of. Jiyong's hand flashed out, grabbing and his brother's collar and dragging the younger boy towards him, back to safety. 

"How did you even know about that?" Seungri moaned, rubbing at the back of his neck trying to get rid of the lingering heat. "Eh, how do I know about anything, lil bro" 

"Point that." 

Jiyong took another cursory scan of his surroundings, pointedly looking away from the object of his initial interest. He and Seungri were having lunch at their usual spot beside the fountain in the center of the campus courtyard. Grad students milled about around them, jaywalking to classes or spending their lunch break under the autumn leaved peach trees. The fountain steps were set at a height providing the perfect vantage point for character study. 

Jiyong flipped the page harshly opening to a fresh sheet and began cutting through with the geometric shapes his art was known for. He should probably be worried that his art had started to show change in his final year of grad when he really couldn't afford to be dallying around with his projects. But some part of him had given up, it wasn't just his art after all. All the tiny, personal and deeply intimate parts of his life had all been infiltrated. 

Seungri jerked back suddenly making frantic gestures with his chin, Jiyong didn't have to turn to know who was standing behind him. It was corny, and highly unrealistic- but he could always feel the other man's presence, out of the corner of his eye, from a string tugging through his heart gently, repeatedly. With a sigh that made him sound a decade older, he turned forcing a cheeky grin into his lips. 

The breezy day had done a number on Kyuhyun's fluffy bangs causing them to stick up in an unruly mess that wasn't entirely the norm. His eyes were calculating as he looked down at Jiyong, bottom lip tucked under his teeth for purchase. He was wearing their university's varsity sweater, the same one that filled the pages of Jiyong's portfolio. Every worn edge and stray thread causing a  hot curl of affection in the pit of his stomach. 

Kyuhyun was annoyed with him, he could tell by the slight pout to a plush set of lips. The broad shoulders arranged carefully into a pretense at nonchalance. Just like Jiyong's grin. And as Jiyong could recognize the invisible tension to the firm lines of muscle, could trace them out into the air with his fingers, had, again and again, Kyuhyun too could peel back Jiyong's layers until the coarse charcoal of his heart was revealed. 

Seungri cleared his throat behind them, and Jiyong blinked, forgetting the maknae's existence for a minute. Seungri's eyes darted between the two nervously, "Heya Kyuhyun hyung, how's basketball practice been going for you?" he asked, laughing awkwardly at the end. 

Kyuhyun's lips pressed tight together and then parted, "It's been good." He replied shortly, not taking his eyes of Jiyong, who was now resolutely glaring at the fountain's sparkling blue water. 

"Shouldn't you be at the court now?" Jiyong asked after the stubborn silence became too much for him to bear. He wanted nothing better than to grab his materials and make a beeline for one of the classrooms, or even the library, anywhere he could go to look...busy. Cause that's what Jiyong was doing right now, being busy, pretending nothing was wrong and hiding at every alternating turn. 

His question seemed to spur Kyuhyun on, who folded his arms across his chest and grumbled, tapping his fingers against well muscled upper arms "We're on a break this week to recuperate after the inter finals last week. Which you would know if you weren't so hell bent on avoiding me." He voice grew in volume towards the end the accusing tone ringing clear between them. 

Jiyong quickly his his wince with a smirk, leaning back against the hard stone, and crossing his stretched out legs. Regretting the lack of sunglasses, he peered up at Kyuhyun through the warm afternoon sun, this wouldn't be too hard, all he had to do was be himself. Be Kwon Jiyong. So he rolled his back and shrugged, "I've just been busy." 

"Busy." Kyuhyun repeated in deadpan, his tone indicated exactly what he thought of Jiyong's current bullshit. 

Well no one could say Jiyong wasn't tenacious, and maybe a little bit of an idiot- he could see Seungri's face scrunching up from the effort of keeping his mouth shut and Jiyong spoke quickly as to deter the maknae's unnecessary input, "Yeah, busy. I've got projects, there's a fashion show on the 20th and I've got a lot to prepare for my main piece. It's a doozy, you'll like it." The last words slipped out of his mouth before he could control them, and he watched as Kyuhyun's stance softened a little, before a sense of determination strung him up again, "Mom wanted me to invite you for dinner. You'll be staying at my place tonight since Tabi-hyung is out of town." 

Jiyong opened his mouth to protest, he didn't even care what the excuse was, he couldn't afford to spend the night at Kyuhyun's. But there was a silent desperation in Kyuhyun's eyes that cause Jiyong's mouth to snap shut, and he nodded dumbly. 

"Be there by seven," was Kyuhyun's final statement before he turned and jogged back to where the rest of his sports crew were lounging out tossing curious glances Jiyong's way. 

"Well you're fucked." Seungri chimed helpfully, and Jiyong gave into his urge to whack someone up the head. 

 

\-------------------

 

It probably started somewhere during Kindergarten, when they had first met. Jiyong had been small and scrawny, with a mother who encouraged a ludicrous sense of child fashion. It was inevitable that Jiyong would spend most of his recess minutes chasing his bullies around the playground as they held his accessory for the day in their grasp, telling him he was weird for wearing jewelry. Boys didn't wear that girly stuff. 

His meeting with Kyuhyun was memorable. The boy went charging at his bullies with a baseball bat raised above his head yelling a belligerent war cry. Kyuhyun was tall for his age, he could be dorky when it came to games, but was cute enough to balance things out. He was covered in dirt and bruises, crouching with one hand on his knees in front of Jiyong and the other hand stretched out, the pendant of Jiyong's necklace sparkling like a star in the center of his palm. 

"Th-This is yours right?" He huffed out through heaving breaths as a result of all the running and screaming and bat lifting. Jiyong reached to retrieve it, and the pads of his fingers brushed against the skin of a smooth palm, contrasting against the roughness of his raggedly bitten fingertips.  Kyuhyun looked up at him then, smiling widely. His cheeks were streaked in mud, and colored a ruddy red. 

Nothing could stop them from becoming friends after that. They spend most weekends at each other's houses, building tents, running through the backyard with Kyuhyun's little puppy, pranking Jiyong's sister with a frog they'd found and shrieking with laughter as her footsteps pounded heavy on the staircase of Jiyong's two story house as she seethed after them. Jiyong remembered holding Kyuhyun's hand and running so fast it almost felt like they were flying. Jiyong's cat, Mako, would wait for them at the porch of the house, clicking at them in irritation until Jiyong crept back into the house to get her a bowl of wet food. 

At night they would curl up under the duvet with a yellow lit torch, legs tangled together, both giggling whispered conspiracies under their breath. And as Jiyong struggled to keep his eyes open, to get that last glimpse of Kyuhyun smiling at him, he felt something he never thought he needed to feel before- he felt safe. 

Middle school was much the same, except the bullying got worse. Jiyong was a proud boy, his sister had introduced him to the wonders of makeup, the different shades, textures and colors left him a little breathless as he ran his hands over his first compact set. Kyuhyun had rolled his eyes good naturedly when Jiyong first showed it to him and then closed his eyes and sat patiently while Jiyong smudged some aqua blue over his lids. He rubbed the corner of Kyuhyun's left eye fondly as his lashes fluttered open, "You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen Kyuhyun-ah." Jiyong stated frankly, turning away to put the compact aside and missing the way Kyuhyun's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. 

At school Kyuhyun was his safe zone, a protective wall around which not much could pass through. He knew, there was no way Kyuhyun wasn't facing some kind of backlash for Jiyong's odd tastes. The makeup, the magazines, or even just the way he looked, all jutting bones and feminine lines. His younger brother Seungri was the opposite, he enjoyed football and roughhousing with Kyuhyun in the kiddie pool. One day when they were around 13, and Seungri had just turned 11, Jiyong's sister had popped down beside him on ground while Seungri and Kyuhyun played a game of basketball using a makeshift hoop they had designed in the garage. Jiyong had been keeping busy sketching out the two, their twisting forms and difference in bulk. Kyuhyun was obviously much better than Seungri at the sport, he was taller and a lot more patient than Jiyong's brother. Jiyong was sure he would be able to join the under fifteen team that year. He'd already designed the little patch he was going to give Kyuhyun as a congratulatory gift. 

"Yongie, how have you been doing lately?" his sister asked him suddenly, her eyes were trained on the game, but Jiyong could hear the seriousness in her tone and his back straightened up automatically. "I'm doing okay Noona" he answered cautiously, unsure which direction the conversation was leading towards. His sister sighed burrowing further into his side, and Jiyong was graced with a flash of memory, a hand tickling his tummy with he was sick pressing a smacking kiss to his cheek. 

"What about.." she hesitated here for a moment, and Jiyong looked up at her curiously, she cleared her throat and continued, "What about things at school? Are you..okay with that?" Jiyong froze beside her. For a moment he wondered whether she had found the broken pieces of his compact, he had stuffed it in the bottom of his bag so she wouldn't see. Jiyong was used to this, he was just glad for the time in which he got to do what he liked. He was okay. He would be okay. 

In front of them, the game had slowed down, Kyuhyun now weaving lazy circles around Seungri. Jiyong could see the next question coming, "It could be easier, you could make more friends without all of that." She wasn't trying to be cruel, Jiyong knew, his sister had always been brash, direct, but never malicious. Nevertheless he could feel the burn in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly to chase away the building wetness. 

Jiyong opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by the orange basketball rolling into his periphery. Kyuhyun was there a second later, "He doesn't have to change." He said firmly, confidently, like anything else was unthinkable. 

Jiyong's noona frowned a little, "I'm not saying he has to change. But it's only going to get harder and-" 

"He doesn't have to change," Kyuhyun repeated, looking Jiyong's sister straight in the eye. Jiyong could feel her still against his body, and then let out a huff, "Alright, alright." She conceded, reaching out to ruffle Kyuhyun's hair. And Jiyong was reminded once again, of the time he had first meet Kyuhyun. Of the little toddler with his baseball bat. If his eyes welled up again well, at least nobody was looking.  
  
That night he crawled into his sister's bed beside her. She was going to university next month and he knew she worried about him. So he cuddled next to her enjoying the steady exchange of warmth, "I'll be okay," he mumbled, "I have Kyuhyun-ah, so I'll be okay." His sister wrapped her arms around him. He can feel the wetness of her tears against the nape of his neck, "You know I'm proud of you, right?" She asked, and he just nodded into her armpit in reply.    
  
________


	2. Growing up was never easy (Especially for you)

They're fifteen when Jiyong first understood the feeling of hatred. He was holding Kyuhyun's limited edition sneakers his hands, or rather the pieces of it, it'd been shredded badly and there were ugly words scrawled into the intact bits. Jiyong's grip on them tightened, they had been a gift to Kyuhyun from his father, his father who was a diplomat and came home only once every six months. Jiyong felt an ugly emotion crawl up his throat and settle with the bile. 

Kyuhyun found Jiyong standing there minutes later, he took one look at the shoes, plucked them out of Jiyong's hands and tossed them into the trash with a "I needed a new pair anyway." 

There were things about Kyuhyun Jiyong understood intimately. He understood that Kyuhyun was not a morning person, but he was not terrible with them either. He knew Kyuhyun had a sweet tooth, but he was specific about the kind of sweets he liked. He knew that Kyuhyun had an older sister too, who Kyuhyun refused to admit he hero-worshiped a little. He knew the brand of breakfast cereal Kyuhyun preferred. He knew that Kyuhyun was in a bad car accident when they were nine, and Jiyong had spent the whole time in the hospital folding paper cranes and talking his ear off about the upcoming fall fashion week in Paris. He knew Kyuhyun got a little clingy when he was tired, and that he got emotional easily, but kept it all locked up like little treasured inside his heart. He knew that Kyuhyun liked whining and moping about, but the only time his true sadness would leak out, was when the two of them curled up playing video games on the weekends and Kyuhyun would hum a random song softly while Jiyong tried to stay as silent as possible. Jiyong knew Kyuhyun had one of the most amazing voices, but he chose to play basketball cause that's what his father had done in school. 

He understood that Kyuhyun was the math genius, brilliant at logical reasoning. And that was why Jiyong could never understand moments like  these, where Kyuhyun would just shrug easily and turn away when people attacked him because he was friends with Jiyong. It made Jiyong want to grab the older boy and just shake him, or maybe..

Jiyong shook his head, he had a revenge to plan. The next morning found the offenders boxer briefs hung high on the school flag-post, his name in big white letters on the neon pink. Jiyong grinned when he saw the notice boards covered in the offender's very incriminating browsing history. He secretly high-fived Seungri as they passed by each other during lunch. 

Kyuhyun gave them a disapproving frown when he realized, but there was a responding amusement shining in his equally mischievous gaze. 

They turned eighteen with a trip to the Grand Canyon just before leaving to university. 

 

\-------

 

Undergrad was an experience. Kyuhyun hadn't known what to expect apart from what Tabi-hyung and the noonas had told him. Which wasn't much past, "Don't drink anything unsealed." And "Always remember the condoms." It was pretty odd, being away from home, away from Jiyong. Kyuhyun didn't consider himself sheltered, but there had always been something soothing about having Jiyong's smirking face constantly in his periphery. His best friend had joined one of the best fashion programs in the country, and damn Kyuhyun if he wasn't the proudest a person could be. 

He still missed him though, especially at night, when he'd turn around in his bed, and there would be no knobby knees knocking into his shins. Kyuhyun felt Jiyong's absence starkly during lunch, where once Jiyong's presence would keep people at an arms length, now they crowded around him, sharing his space, breathing the same air. It was neither good, nor bad, just different. And he can't deny that the new torrent of people did nothing to lessen the empty spot that now haunted his days. 

The noonas had worried about Jiyong more, Kyuhyun knew, but he also knew that Jiyong would be fine. Even in school he had a charisma that threw off their bullies, a slow smirk and an intense look to his eyes that made anyone want to know him. But Jiyong had never looked past Kyuhyun, never tried to search for more. Kyuhyun couldn't say he encouraged otherwise himself. There was an edge of selfishness in him that wanted to keep their duo private. 

Of course now, with their separation, he was learning to adjust. He didn't have to slow his stride while walking anymore, didn't have to 'talk to people' using his height for the kind of intimidation that would always feel foreign except when it was about Jiyong. Instead, he had to learn to feed himself three meals a day because he didn't have Jiyong to drag him away from a a game anymore. He had to learn to fit in with a different crowd. 

Ryeowook from his Ethics class became a fast friend. The two had an easy understanding about each other, and there was an edge of bossiness to his new friend that he appreciated. His breaks were spent either hanging out with Ryeowook and a guy named Yesung from a buisness class, or texting Jiyong about their respective days. 

The curiosity was natural, he supposed. "Who do you keep texting?" Ryeowook asked him, a knowing glint to his eyes. They were waiting for Yesung in the parking area hoping to grab a couple of burgers for lunch. Kyuhyun shook his head with a quiet laugh, "Just my childhood friend, he wants to know what the jerseys here look like. Apparently my selfie taking skills don't match his required standards." Kyuhyun ran his fingers through his hair and gave his phone an exasperated shake. 

Ryeowook worked quick, he plucked the phone from Kyuhyun's fingers and took a quick snap of the man beside him, and then passed the phone back before Kyuhyun had enough time to register what had just happened. "Send that one to him." Ryeowook ordered, and with a shrug Kyuhyun complied. There was a moment of silence, before his phone was bombarded with a rapid surge of texts. Kyuhyun's eyes widened and his thumbs tried to keep up with the pace. 

"What's going on?" Ryeowook asked. 

"He just wants to know who took the picture." Kyuhyun replied absentmindedly.

"Oh." Ryeowook tried to smother his grin behind the screen of his own phone. His suspicions were rarely unfounded, and encouraging young love did give him a special kind of pleasure. Looking at Kyuhyun's fixed, unmoving gaze from the screen of his phone, Ryeowook thought it would be better for Siwon, quarterback of the football team, to just give up. 

He hid his expression once Kyuhyun managed to look up again, after all there was only so much he was allowed to butt into when it came to another's relationship. 

 

\----------

 

Two years into undergrad, and Kyuhyun was having the most frustrating week of his life. He hadn't heard from Jiyong in two whole weeks, something that hadn't happened since the two had parted ways after school. He paced the tiny dorm room his shared with Sungmin, an unassuming senior. What if Jiyong was in some kind of trouble? He had been starting to sound odd lately, but Kyuhyun had chalked it up to the general stress of exams. They managed to meet for a weekend during spring break three months ago, and Kyuhyun knew it wasn't enough time, but now he wished he had paid more attention. He'd just been so relieved to see Jiyong then, and then two had done nothing more than stay holed up in Kyuhyun's room, playing games (Kyuhyun), sleeping(Jiyong), singing (Kyuhyun) and sketching (Jiyong). 

Grabbing his jacket and keys in agitation he made his way to his door, but just as he was about to open it, there was a knock. And he knew, just like he always did, just like they always did. Jiyong stood on his porch, there were shadows under his eyes, and a slump to his shoulders, but when Kyuhyun parted his arms, the natural way Jiyong folded into them, his body moving on autopilot, was beautiful. 

Kyuhyun didn't say anything, just shuffled them towards his bed and pulled Jiyong on top of him, making sure they were pressed together from top to bottom. They lay like that for hours, until Kyuhyun thought that Jiyong might be asleep, but there was a huffed whispered by his ear, so soft he almost didn't catch it, 

"I had sex with a guy." 

Kyuhyun could feel his whole body freeze up, something in him cracked, and his heart thudded against it, raging to push out of his body. Jiyong's trembling form above his brought up fears that he was too scared to voice. He didn't think he would be able to control his own reaction. He pushed the words out from clenched teeth anyway, trying to calm the cold steel in the pit of his stomach, "Did it- was it consensual?" 

Jiyong must have heard something in his voice, because he was scrambling up to look at Kyuhyun's face, "Yeah, I mean, I wasn't. No. I just- I didn't-" he stopped here, lost eyes searching Kyuhyun's desperately and Kyuhyun just pulled him into his chest, "You don't have to explain. I'm sorry, I just needed to-"

"I know." Jiyong cut him off, burying his face into Kyuhyun's neck and breathing in deeply, like he was trying to absorb Kyuhyun into himself. Kyuhyun understood the feeling, he didn't think he'd be able to let go of Jiyong anytime soon either. 

It was late in the night by the time Sungmin came back, he cast a furrowed brow of worry between Kyuhyun, and Jiyong's sleeping form draped over him. Kyuhyun rubbed a hand over Jiyong's back and tried to convey reassurance through his body language, not wanting to wake Jiyong up by speaking. Sungmin took another glance at them, and then without another word grabbed his jacket and left the room. Kyuhyun definitely lucked out with his roommate. 

Later, once he and Jiyong had shifted to a more comfortable position, Kyuhyun found himself unable to sleep, watching Jiyong and drinking in the little details he had missed over their years of separation. Jiyong had started to wear make up regularly now, and here was a smudge of eyeliner above his dark lashes, he had a minor breakout of pimples on his chin that makeup was unable to hide and Kyuhyun couldn't hold himself back from reaching out to trail a finger along his jawline. 

There were conflicting emotions battling it out within him, accompanied by a sweet ache only Jiyong could evoke in his heart. It was odd, thinking about the person who had gotten to experience Jiyong in this form, where he was more cat than human, curling around Kyuhyun vulnerably. Jiyong still felt like his, in all the ways that counted, they were friends, best friends. 

It was just odd, he swallowed thickly. 

 

\-----------------

 

Grad school found them together again. It hadn't been that hard to find a University that offered a course they were both interested in. At the time of decision, it had seemed like the best idea possible to Jiyong. He was desperate to have Kyuhyun around him again, constantly, to fill up that emptiness inside him like no other relationship was able to. 

But then Jiyong caught himself staring too long at Kyuhyun's thighs as the muscles contracted while Kyuhyun made a jump shot. Found himself wanting to kiss the bridge of Kyuhyun's nose, when he wore those godforsaken glasses. Found himself wanting too much, too soon. Or maybe it was there all along, but the close proximity had opened his eyes up in a way childhood innocence couldn't. He couldn't control the sick feeling that overtook him later either, when he caught himself watching, longing. 

Kyuhyun had been his closest friend for so long, and Jiyong had to go and destroy that by adding in feelings that would never be reciprocated. He could still remember that day he drove all the way to Kyuhyun's campus when they were twenty one, feeling so cold, and so wrong, and knowing there was only one person who could erase that feeling. In hindsight, maybe Jiyong never stood a chance. But he remembered Kyuhyun's discomfort, and he remembered how his friend had accepted him anyway. Jiyong had to go and break that fragile line with his stupid feelings. So he did the only thing he could at this point, he backtracked, build some distance between them so that he could get a semblance of control over himself. 

It turned out to be useless, he thought miserably, looking at the piece that was going to be his major project of the year. One look at it, and everyone would know. Kyuhyun would know. Jiyong shook his head, it was not the time to worry about that now. He pulled back his jacket sleeve to look at his watch. He had about two hours till he had to leave to go to Kyuhyun's house. 

He looked back at his project, and Seungri's words echoed in his mind. 

He was so fucked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! I adore this pairing so much >///< I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry about any typos >.< Let me know if you want more in the comments please <333


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